User blog:Cfp3157/Oscars 2017
It's that time of year again- the filmmakers and actors of Sunset Boulevard now gather to honor the best of the year. After a notoriously controversial election season, rising tension internationally, and tragedy striking down some of our most beloved celebrities to grace the field or screen, we all think cinema has offered a perfect escape for us all. The Host The 89th Academy Awards will be hosted by American television host Jimmy Kimmel. He has hosted his own talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the last thirteen year with great approval and audience reception. He has hosted the White House Correspondent Dinner, two Primeitme Emmy Awards, and been a frequent host and roaster on the Comedy Central roasts. This will be Kimmel's first time hosting the Oscars. Cfp's Thoughts I've always been a fan of Kimmel's. He's already proven he's okay with taking on Trump, but always in a more sarcastic and amusing way than his more critical opponents like SNL or Samantha Bee. I expect much for his opening monologue, with surprise cameos from Guillermo and that bastard Matt Damon, but this will be a decidedly less theatrical show than the last previous years. Beast's Thoughts I've never been a massive Kimmel fan, but he's fairly entertaining and has pulled off some really funny skits in the past. I'm predicting that the show will focus more on host monologues and the occasional gag rather than really big dance numbers or extended intro sequences. Lead Actor A grieving janitor; a combat medic; a bohemian father; a struggling pianist; a model of masculinity. Three second-time nominees, a first time nominee who was snubbed, and a man petitioning to join the triple Oscar club. In a different year, any of these five exceptionally talented men could've won. The nominees are... *Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea '' *Andrew Garfield in ''Hacksaw Ridge *Ryan Gosling in La La Land *Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic *Denzel Washington in Fences Cfp's Thoughts Can I just say how happy I am that Gosling and Mortensen can finally add "Two-time Academy Award nominee" to their trailers? And that Garfield can add "Academy Award nominee" now to his? This has definitely been a two-pony race all season, so that's all the thoughts I'll give on those three. Welcome to the club, boys. *Prediction: SAG is never wrong- I'm picking the underdog Denzel Washington as my prediction. Personal feelings aside, Denzel has a lot going for him compared to Casey- he's already a two-time winner, and this is the type of performance that many could support to get him into the Triple Oscar club. He's an A-list star beloved by the public and the industry, as opposed to Affleck's more subdued and off-putting personality. Despite Affleck's complete sweep of the season, I think Washington's credibility, experience, and genuine skill can get him the win. *Preference: Proudly and ferociously pounding on the chest of "Troy", Denzel Washington gives a defining performance of his career in Fences. He's both bolsterous and subtle, letting his eyes communicate pain while he brazenly yells and hollers in defiance of the world. *Snub: I can live with Andrew Garfield getting nominated for the wrong performance, and the category fraud Dev Patel got put through. What I cannot settle for is the egrogious snub of Ryan Reynolds and his brazenly meta, hilarious, and accurate depiciton of the Merc with a Mouth. Beast's Thoughts *Prediction: Every part of me wants to say Casey Affleck, but I just feel that's become too obvious of a pick. Between a surprise SAG win for Denzel Washington and the *ahem* let's just stick with accusations floating around him, I think we're going to see Affleck join his brother in the snub club tonight. *Preference: Normally I'm against showering Oscar vets with awards in favor of newcomers, but I'd be really delighted to see my boi Denzel Washington bring home an Oscar. *Snubbed: Gosling's great in La La Land, but it would've been nice to see his side-splittingly cartoonish work in the criminally underappreciated The Nice Guys get some love. Lead Actress It's the year of veterans; a twenty-time Oscar nominee, a twenty- time Cesar nominee, an industry child born and raised to success, one of the current generation's best and brightest, and 2016 breakout actress. Quite a selection to work from, especially given the lack of contenders in the early half of the year. The nominees are... *Isabella Huppert in Elle *Ruth Negga in Loving *Natalie Portman in Jackie *Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins *Emma Stone in La La Land Cfp's Thoughts I'll be perfectly; I've only seen the frontrunners and their performances. I've heard great things about Huppert and Negga, but both were always just outside chances to even get nominated. Meryl Streep has twenty Oscar nominations now, and she's already part of the triple Oscar clubs- I'm not mad, just disappointed. *Prediction: This entire awards season has been neck-and-neck between Stone and Portman. The precursor season has loved La La Land, but they've also loved Portman. The latter lost Best Drama Globe and SAG, the former against an outsider and the latter against Stone, her sole competition. 14 nominations, and even if La La Land doesn't break records like predicted, the one assurance of an award it can win is going to be getting Emma Stone her makeup Oscar. *Preference: ...Stone would've won in my 2014 ballot in Supporting Actress, so I have no reservations about making Natalie Portman the first two-time winner between the two of them. While Stone pours her heart and soul into "Audition", it's Portman purposefully disengaged and coldly mourning Jackie that will reduce viewers to tears. *Snub: Why did we nominate Meryl, again? It seems a little redundant at this point. While Amy Adams missing out sorely hurts, Jessica Chastain is the one who powerfully breaks down the barriers between film and art in the riveting Miss Sloane. Category:Blog posts